The BBC news has recently reported that the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has warned NHS services about the extreme disruption and an extremely increasing spike in heart disease deaths since the pandemic.
The charity has said that the constant delays in ambulances, inaccessible care for patients, and the waits in surgery are contributing to 30,000 excess cardiac deaths in England. The charity has also called upon a new strategy to be implemented to reduce “unacceptable” waiting times.
However, the Government has said that it will be giving the NHS another £500 million to try and not only ease the pressure on the ambulance services but also to boost hospital capacity.
Statistics
The charity has predicted that by April 2023, 395,000 people in England could be on a waiting list for either a heart test or procedure, based on current trends. This is a substantial increase from 224,000 which was the pre-pandemic amount.
Various medical professionals and groups have commented that they are becoming increasingly worried about the high number of deaths of any cause recorded during 2022. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicates that the overall number of deaths was a 17% increase in England than what would have been anticipated for the week ending 21 October (based on the average for earlier years).
It is understandable that some of these statistics can be explained by Covid. For example, 523 death certificates were related to Covid in England during the week of 14 October. Further, the UK’s ageing population can be another contributory factor as the data doesn’t consider that there are now more older people which could be responsible for over half the total excess.
Ambulance delays and waiting lists
Research from the BHF suggests that heart disease is the most common cause and responsible for 230 deaths a week above expected rates from February 2020.
The disruption in ambulance delays and long waiting lists are driving the increase in heart care services and putting added pressure on NHS services, according to the charity.
According to NHS data:
- 7,467 patients had been waiting more than a year for a heart procedure – this is 267 times higher compared to before the pandemic -; and
- 346,129 people were waiting for time-sensitive cardiac care as of the end of August 2022 – an increase of 49% since February 2020.
Also, the average ambulance response time has risen to 48 minutes in England in comparison to 18 minutes, meaning an extra 30-minute delay.
The charity has said that problems accessing face-to-face GP and hospital care have also contributed to the rise. Adding that modelling from NHS England has indicated that the drop in people having their blood pressure checked as a result of the pandemic could potentially result in an extra 11,190 heart attacks and 17,702 strokes over the course of the next three years.
The BHF’s Chief Executive, Dr Charmaine Griffiths, commented:
“It is devastating that the ongoing and extreme disruption to heart care has meant that 30,000 more families have lost a loved one.
Many hundreds of thousands of people fear that their heart condition could get worse before they get treatment – potentially stopping them from working or enjoying a full life. Many more are completely unaware they now have a condition putting them at a greater risk of early death from a heart attack or stroke.”
BHF has called for the introduction of a new national heart strategy to reduce wait times for patients requiring GP appointments and to address staff shortages in the cardiology sector, as well as an increase in medical research.
However, the Department of Health has said the NHS is making progress in tackling the backlog of treatments required.
A spokesman added:
“We’re improving care and outcomes for people with heart disease by opening over 80 community diagnostic centres across the country, which have already delivered over two million additional checks. We recognise the pressures ambulances are facing and we’ve sent out a range of measures to help ease this including an extra £500m to speed up discharge and free up hospital beds, reduce waits in A&E and get ambulances quickly back out on the road.”
Comment
The above data presents a worrying picture of the issues patients face in accessing treatment often with very serious outcomes ensuing. It is disappointing that things are not improving in spite of Covid-related issues reducing. It is particularly worrying that patients are having to wait so long for ambulances. Lives are at risk as a result. We are able to advise on any of the issues outlined in this article and would be happy to assist anyone affected.
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Carolle White is a Senior Associate and Legal Executive in our Medical Negligence team, which has been ranked in tier one by the independently researched publication, The Legal 500.
If you require any advice or if you have any questions regarding the subjects discussed in this article, please get in touch with Carolle or another member of the team in Derby, Leicester, or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.
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